So, good evening, everyone welcome. Going to talk this evening about this chat that we just did. Which we do 1 of our regular chance. The harmony of difference and sameness, which kind of kind of Japanese. And I'm doing this as an introduction tonight. What we as a preparation for the top. Next Sunday, which will be by guest speaker, Steven. Eminence Sammy, the scholar who has. Locate just located and translated some Chinese commentary. On this harmony difference and same, so that'll be a. Well, premier event, the English translations of these commentaries, including by who was initiating the record. So, I'm just going to, I'm not going to go over every line, but I want to kind of give an introduction to this.

[01:06]

Important chant in our lineage, so it's by chances, but also. But the song of the grass, but sometimes chance, but this chat, the harmony difference in saying this. And the sound like, but don't show it was. A few generations after ship, so we're for a long time, the. Transmission documents. That we used to transition. So. I want to just spend some time with the title because it's really important. The harmony of difference and saying this. This goes back to the 2 truths. There's 2 aspects of reality and then lots of ways of talking about. In this case, difference in saying this, so saying this is.

[02:11]

Ultimate or universal truth of reality. That all is that all is empty. So this is called same as every group. We're all the same. Dogen came back from going to China and said. Was asked what he brought back and said eyes. Horizontal nose, vertical, so we all share. And the universal or ultimate truth is to see. On this to see the ultimate to see the universal. Or to see emptiness perception or other ways of talking about it. Uh, in the title of this inside our Japanese. The sameness is the door. It means literally the same, so all things as one, all things as whole, all things as part of the universal truth. And that's something that in our practice, we start to.

[03:16]

Have some sense of as we continue with. Regular practice, this becomes. More and more clear as a background awareness. However, as this. Chance says, according with saying, this is still not enlightened, so I'll come back to that. But the point is that there's the other side, which is different. The particulars each of us has. Particular way of. Expressing wholeness, expressing. So, the particular is, you know, the phenomenal world. Our usual way of being in the world and usually. In our human culture, we are used to thinking in terms of all these differences, notice all the differences make distinctions.

[04:17]

This is how our mind works. Subject to subject as we are and objects all around us and all are different. So, there's the same as the difference. Um. And son is the character here for difference. Son also needs to study. Study the differences. So, but practice a practice of. So, I said, I practice and set those that is fundamentally. Hi, is. Can be translated as harmonizing. Or matching is literally 2 towers that. Uh, or that fit together, so they match. So, the point is, in terms of our practice. How do we bring. The ultimate awareness into the particular experiences and difficulties and issues.

[05:22]

In our everyday activity, that's what. This song is about that's what our practice is about. That's what said. Philosophy is about, so this gets extrapolated in the jewel marriage body. It talks about 5, 5, 4 interaction of. The universal and the particular, and that's a whole other elaboration of this, but the basis is just this. Seeing 1, this, your home is. The ultimate of the universal is everything is the same. And seeing the differences, the particular. But how do we integrate to integrate? How do we fit them together? So, that's the title of this chat that we do regularly. So, when I go through some of the lines, and I just hope to have some discussion.

[06:26]

Questions comments, so it begins the mind of the great sage in India. Is it transmitted from West to East? So, the great state of India is, of course, shocking. And so, yes, it's been transmitted from West to East was great mind. This ultimate awareness, this awakening. So, it went from India to China. And it's to Tibet, India down to South Asia. China to Korea, China, Korea to Japan. And then in much more recent times, well, essentially, no, not to. So, we just came to Hawaii and Los Angeles. She came in 6s to San Francisco. Continue to move from West to East. To Chicago.

[07:29]

So, this mind, this awareness. Of shocking money, great stage, and these things are transmitted from West to East. Sometimes it goes back the other way. As in American, it isn't sometimes someone forming some of Asian Buddhism, but this is not the story. Anyway. The human faculty, so I'm not going to go through every line, but I will do the early lines. Yeah, well, he, when the faculties are sharp or dull. The way he has no northern and southern ancestors. So, whether your faculties are sharp or don't. Whether you're smarter, it doesn't matter in terms of this. It's not about intelligence. While human faculties and human faculties also refers to perceptions, which we'll see later on in this column. But the way has no northern or southern ancestors.

[08:37]

So, the. In China, particularly, there was historically at some at some point, more than challenge and Southern China. Uh, and, you know, part of what happens historically. All through the history of. Here in America, too, is there are distinctions and there are different branches. And different traditions, so it says the spiritual source. Shots clear and white. The branching streams go on and darkness. So, uh. The branches change are all the different traditions and marriage and stuff. What is it and. This thing about light and dark is interesting light refers to in a way to the particulars to the side of. Difference in the light, we can see.

[09:41]

I can distinguish Mike and Jerry. Even though it's sort of, but when it's totally dark, everything is 1, you can't see you can't see any particular. So it says here. The black branching stream, so on the dark. Well, 1st, the spiritual source trans clear in the light. As we see the tradition of. Great stage of India, and then the branching streams were on the dark. And, uh, you know, our. She said in tradition. Is there we have a branching stream, a bunch of students needed this. Douglas is planning to next week. Yes, yes. So, uh. Waiting to a meeting and branching streams, which is the different. Temples and groups.

[10:43]

But, but this isn't talked about here, just a sense of all the different streams of. All the, all the different ways in which it's been translated. And then come back and talk about it, but, um. That's 2 lines of very important grasping at things that surely. Well, this is our way of being in the world. In our consumers culture, we grasp after things and our mind. It sees objects out there, so called. You know, tries to get ahold of things, tries to control things. So, uh, grasping at things. That's true. That's our world. Right? However, the next line is 1 of the key lines of the whole. Accordingly, saying this is still not enlightened.

[11:49]

So. It happens that people have. Sometimes the dramatic experiences. Accordingly, the same of meeting. The ultimate or the universal truth. Sometimes these are dramatic experiences. That's still not. For some people that there are, there are. Buddhist and people in other traditions and think that to see the universal to see the ultimate is the goal and that's enlightened, but that's not in our tradition. According to saying this is. According to say, Mr. still not. So, I don't want to get in there and some. Somebody yesterday was mentioned Hinduism, where they sometimes the goal is God or something like that. So, in a lot of traditions, the spiritual traditions in the world, the goal is to unite with the ultimate.

[13:00]

In our tradition, that's not the point. Having experiences of the universal and the ultimate, and as I said before, this happens in Zaza or it can happen when we walk out of the door and walking down the street at the time, or it just becomes part of. The background of what you are simply, but she said what he walks through the fog and. So, just by paying attention. So, this is a matter of. If it's insane, this something happens. So. It says all the objects of the senses interacting that do not sometimes say. Since the sense object says faculty, the sense object to not sometimes not.

[14:05]

Interaction interactions, bringing involvement otherwise, which keeps this place. So, again, the ultimate is not yet. It's not the goal of meeting the ultimate is not the goal of practice. The purpose of our practices when we, as we. Become familiar with this background. All this background, ultimate awareness. That we do, yet they said, how do we bring it into our lives? How does that become part of what we are and how we are helpful in the world? How do we share that in our everyday life? So, I'm not going to go into every line, but it talks about sites. And sounds differing in the senses of the 4 elements. Earth, sorry, return to their nations. This is a child church.

[15:10]

So, I'm going to stick my head a little bit. With each and everything, depending on these groups, the lead spread force. So, there's this mechanical kind of energy throughout this. Truck and branches sharing this year and each speech. So, trunk and branches share the essence. The. Great sage in India. And all the great ancestors to continue this tradition. Through 2500 years. No other truck and then the branches. So. The practice is about sharing this. Awareness sharing. Sharing are caring about the world. And that people who were about the suffering of the world, how do we do that? How do we do that? Also.

[16:17]

With some sense of the statements of just settle. Into awareness of the ultimate universal. So. In a light, there's darkness don't take it as darkness and darkness like, but don't see it as much. So, this is is starting to talk about the way that. The ultimate and the particular interact. Right in the light. Writing the particulars there is this. Completeness this almost the ultimate and. In the dark, there's a lot. So, see, it's going to grab on to his life. Right in the ultimate, there are the particulars. So this harmonizing is an action is putting together. A difference in sameness. Is subtle and it's actually, it's going on.

[17:24]

In our practice, even from when we begin to practice. Sometimes people have told me that in fact, we should in a little while, a friend said, oh, what are you doing? And people people around us. In sense, when we are. Involved in this, et cetera, and. Getting together this ultimate. Keep our situation. So. What in dark oppose 1 another, like, for that front and back for walking. Well, the front and back for the wall thing, right? You know, we couldn't walk with. It's just 1 for it. We could use a crush or something, but it's. Friends and back for the walk and they're not actually fighting each other. It's just this complimentary image of how we proceed in our practice.

[18:30]

Each of the married things has its merit expressed according to the function in place. Yeah, this is an important point. Everyone has their own special gifts. The poet says, he should have things as it's. Express according to function in place. So, each particular. Each different. It's different bit of reality. Has this has this has this, but and it gets expressed. You know, the situation. And I'm going to exist. So. But that's not what this is about. There is both. Or invented. The number 4 exists.

[19:31]

And it's interaction with onus. Boxing with fit so these images of connection, they actually, the kind of kind of the original Chinese meeting is. When we're sent out messages, they would break. Some tile and so. It's send some to the other question and the titles would fit together. So, you know, that they came from the same place. That's the early Chinese energy. So. So, he says, so that point, and that principle response. So the way 1 of the ways in Chinese that they talk about. The same difference, the same, this is principle. The Chinese, the phenomenon is the particular things.

[20:35]

Sure. And so here is using that that way of talking about. Phenomenon exists, but some of the principle response arrow points need that has to do with the story that I told before, but there was a master voucher. It was the best archer in China. It was the greatest he had a student who was very good. And at some point, the student thought, oh, I'm just going to send that guy that guy. And took up his bow and arrow and shot it towards his teacher, because if you tell the teacher that we were, but the teacher, of course, I'm just doing this, and he shot an arrow and then. So, that's just a classic Chinese story, but that's what he's been there for. So, again, all of this is just.

[21:39]

Introduction to this text, so that we are informed when we see the mind comes to Sunday, it makes us some new Chinese commentaries. What's Laurence's hearing the words? I'm just sample me. Hearing the words understand, and this is 1 principle of. I'm going to see this pencil, which is studies work in in Buddhism that you should not go, but go by the worst understand the meaning. So, when I was 1st, translating. Translate cultivated the empty field. I was a later teacher and it's tradition. And the original is my master's thesis. Translated all the words, and I thought I had it, and I took it to my face.

[22:44]

And I went back later. I said to me, this is not good. Start over. This was 1 of the kind of things that anybody's done because he said, he translated the worst, but not for me. So, I went back and each of the paragraphs and cultivate the field for a while. So, I felt, so I felt, oh, what's done and that's what that's such. So, the point is, don't get hung up on the words. Don't get hung up on the particular translation. What's the meaning? So, if you look at different translations of Durban, as I told people, you know, if you compare the same paragraph and the same passage to. Translations, you can see what's the meaning.

[23:49]

So. No, it's a little challenging, but the more you need it, you start to be able to supply the name. So, follow the tradition of the ancestors. And then we have to express that for our own situation. Or. Yeah. Yeah, somebody from Mexico anyway, Chicago area. Don't set up standards. If you don't understand the way right before you, how will you know the path as you walk? So, you have to, so it's not a matter of figuring out. The way that you just look.

[24:52]

What's next? Progress is not a matter of far or near. So, we tend to do in our modern and similar culture, you know, think of progress in terms of how close am I to the goal. And this is that progress is not a matter of far. You might think you're very far away and suddenly you're right there. If you are confused, I respectfully urge you to study the history, which is all of us. We are. We're studying the world we're seeing. It's not studying like, you know, reading texts and figuring something out or calculating. It's studying with your body. Feeling. Feeling what's this reality about saying there's a difference in this body and this posture here tonight. So, I respectfully urge you to study the mystery.

[25:56]

She says, do not pass your days and nights in vain days and nights is a work is a phrase that could just be pressed into this time. So, there are some translations of this, just to say, don't waste time. Don't waste time. Do not pass your days. And often on Hans, we don't have it on the heart of it. I don't know. But I'm, you know, what we had. Or you said, it's just don't waste time. So. Okay, that's the difference in saying this. Um. Just kind of basic introduction and see what's to offer from the Chinese. But right now, comments, questions.

[26:58]

Responses to questions. So some of this seems mystified or whatever. Please. Yes, thank you. You know, my favorite line and. Then text, whether it's from adoption or ship, though, is a line about the arrow points meeting. And I wonder if it's saying. That's a that's a, you know, important. I still am not sure that I know what it's a metaphor for. I was wondering, what is it? What is the principle that is responding here or beginning reference? And could you give him a different example of our points meeting? Yeah, sure. 1 way this 1 aspect of this is. So you and I have sat face to face.

[28:04]

So, and when there's some clear understanding, there's some clear understanding. I don't want to see. It's not something it's not about figuring out something. It's just. You know, that's it. That's a highfalutin sample of some, but when you meet someone. And. It's just there. It's just like, gosh, it's just 2 bands together. But you need someone and you can recognize them in a way that's beyond our ideas of. Who we are. This happens in, you know, romantic connections too. How do we, but it doesn't have to be that. How do we meet? It's about intimacy. So that's the principle. Well, it's the, it's the principle and it's, it happens together.

[29:06]

It happens in a particular situation. So a lot of the 7 text, a lot of colon stories seem to be. You know, metaphors or some kind of image of something abstract, but they're also. Just exactly particular. Mansions that. Just me. Or any situation where when you do prostrations. Meet the ground. It's also. Yes, that's. Other questions or comments about any of this. People online, I can't see so well.

[30:08]

Yeah, that's okay. So just anyone comments, questions, responses. Any part of this chat that we do. Somewhat regularly here. I know, right? So the grasping of things is surely delusion. And according to saying, this is still on white. To what extent does that sort of mirror the truth pointed at in heart sutra form and emptiness? Emptiness is for good question. Yes, yes. Yeah. So. We're asking after forms. Is that's our ordinary. You know. So we didn't disturb whatever world. But people are trying to get a hold of.

[31:13]

Whatever and. So that's that's the world of, you know. Right. But. According to the same, this is still not enlightenment. So just meeting. Emptiness, so in terms of the heart sutra, I have to translate it. Just matching and being at 1 with emptiness is that's not it. That's not working. It has to be integrated into your life. So in terms of the song, don't cut. That's been stuck in the dough. So being so, you know, being obsessed with emptiness is. A problem, you know, and it's possible, you know, especially. If you go off to some. Intense domestic situation where you're doing a lot of sauce and every day.

[32:20]

It's possible to get really blissed out and get really. You know that this is it. And so that's an example of being obsessed or attached to emptiness. Because emptiness is just emptiness. Form is just form and emptiness is form form is emptiness. And there's emptiness and emptiness. So anyway, yeah. Not to be caught in emptiness is being caught in. It's just as as bad as people being caught in forms and trying to. You know, billionaires trying to make more and more money. So anyway, yeah. Other questions, conference. Don't get the camera here. So I'm starting to feel like I'm thinking about the line.

[33:20]

Studying the mystery. Yes, and I honestly don't really know if I'm studying the mystery anymore. I like I feel like I'm. But I don't feel like in a negative way, like I don't care. Like, I feel like I'm like. It feels more accurate to be like, I feel like I'm just sort of vibing, you know, like I'm not I'm not trying to understand in particular. To be honest, I don't think. I mean, I, I have. I feel it and bring it up, not as like a good or bad thing, but just as like. I feel like there was many times when I really was studying the mystery. And I don't feel like I know anything better now. But I feel but like I don't I just don't know what that means. So studying the mystery doesn't mean. Trying to reach some particular understanding. OK, so people can feel like, oh, yeah, I know it's like this is so cool.

[34:22]

But the study is about, well, how does it feel? This period and your shoulders. It's. In particular. Thoughts and feelings that are coming up. Oh, you know, I mentioned one of the. So the word study is misleading. It's not figuring something out. It's about coming, coming back to sitting in the middle of sitting in the middle of. Save our lives, you know. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or next year or 10 years, you know, or we don't know what's going to happen in five minutes in the middle of this lesson. What thoughts? So one of my favorite stories about sheets. This is it. Pearson, though, that's extensive director should have said. That the.

[35:27]

Blue sky. Is not hindered by the white clouds drifted. The universal, our ultimate awareness is not harmed by your thoughts. They can drift away, but there's a process in there. That of our awareness and how that works. So studying that it's it's a mystery. It is a mystery. We don't understand the whole thing. We don't understand how all the elements of our body are working. Can't figure that out. Clear understanding that we experience it. So how do you. I might say it is how how does it feel? How do you feel your experience? From moment to moment. It's awesome. That's that's true. So I don't. Douglas. I was going to go back to.

[36:30]

Yeah, yeah, I'm putting it out with the language, not grasping. Things that surely believe me. According to seeing as they still want enlightenment, which is. You know how across the board. It's constant warning to not take things as not. Right, either side, either side. When we grasp the things either conceptually or by designer. When we ignore their. The sameness aspect of things. And similarly, we're just looking. Oh, it's all one. It's all one. This is the fact that 1, this exists only. As things together. And I think that a big part of it, the grasping. Is reached. In later on, when it says, you know, when. In the light, there's darkness, but don't take it as darkness. In the dark, there's light, but don't take it as light.

[37:33]

So we would say. We become intimate with the things. Into the darkness. But still. When we when we take. Say, in the light, there's darkness, but don't take it as darkness. You know, we can't say, oh, this is emptiness. Because then we just conceptualize. Right? We have to not grasp. At the same time that we may yield. That. Yeah. So, as you're describing it. It's about intimacy. It's about becoming intimate with the process. Both sides. Homeless and ridiculous.

[38:36]

It's a dog. You know, and I knew it was a dog media. Before I thought about it. It's their dog. So. How do we. So studying the mysteries about becoming. Intimate with the process of this dance of. Harmonize. Our particular situation. A particular. Dormant place and. The homeless that includes. Sound like Washington. Yeah. So, yeah, it's, it's about.

[39:38]

It's not something to figure out. It's not not to think about this, or you can if you want to, but it's about just settling into our experience. That that makes more experience.

[39:56]

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